How To Clear Your Browser Cache
To clear your browser cache, open your browser’s settings, find the privacy or history section and choose to clear cached images and files. The exact menu names vary slightly by browser and device, but the principle is the same across Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge and Firefox.
If you’re in a hurry on a desktop browser, the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac) usually opens the relevant menu directly, saving you a few clicks.
Why Clear Your Cache
Whenever you visit a website for the first time, your browser has to download every part of that page from the internet. Images, text, scripts and styling all need to be pulled down before the page can be shown to you. Your browser then stores some of those files on your device in something called a cache, which is why a website usually loads faster the next time you return.
Over time, though, the stored files can become outdated, take up more space than they need to or hold an older version of a page that no longer matches what’s on the live website. Clearing your cache forces your browser to download a fresh copy of everything the next time you visit a site. That tends to be worth doing when:
- A website looks broken, won’t load properly or shows an old version after an update.
- Your browser is running slowly, freezing or using more memory than usual.
- You want to test changes to your own website and see the latest version rather than a cached one.
- You’re handing your device to someone else and want to remove your browsing data.
For most people, clearing the cache once every few months is enough. There’s no real benefit to doing it more often than that, since the cache is helping pages load faster in the meantime. The exception is when you’re actively troubleshooting a specific problem, in which case clearing it is one of the first things to try.
The sections below walk through the exact steps for Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge and Firefox, covering both desktop and mobile.
Google Chrome
On Mobile (Android and iOS)
Open Chrome and tap the three-dot menu in the corner. On Android, tap Settings, then Privacy and security, then Clear browsing data. On iOS, tap Delete browsing data directly from the menu.
Choose a time range, tick Cached images and files, then confirm. You can also clear your browsing history, cookies and site data from the same screen.
On Desktop
Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner, then Settings. Select Privacy and security from the left-hand menu, then Delete browsing data.
Choose your time range, anything from the last hour up to all time, and tick Cached images and files. Click Delete data to confirm.
The keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac) opens the same menu directly.
If you’re signed into Chrome with a Google account, some of your activity may also be stored in your Google account. To manage that, visit myactivity.google.com and review or delete activity from there.
Safari
On iPhone and iPad
Safari’s cache lives in the system Settings, not in the browser itself. Open the Settings app, scroll down to Apps, then tap Safari. Tap Clear History and Website Data and confirm.
This clears your history, cookies and cached files together. If your device is signed into iCloud, the same data is cleared from any other Apple devices using the same Apple ID.
On Mac
Open Safari, then choose History from the menu bar at the top of the screen and select Clear History. Pick a time range and confirm. This clears history, cookies and cache together.
To clear only the cache without touching your history, enable the Develop menu first. Open Safari → Settings → Advanced and tick Show features for web developers. A new Develop menu appears in the menu bar, with an Empty Caches option.
Microsoft Edge
On Mobile (Android and iOS)
Open Edge and tap the three-dot menu at the bottom of the screen. Tap Settings, then Privacy and security, then Clear browsing data.
Tick Cached images and files along with anything else you want to remove, then tap Clear.
On Desktop
Click the three-dot menu in the top-right corner and choose Settings. Select Privacy, search, and services from the left-hand menu, then under Delete browsing data click Choose what to clear.
Pick a time range, tick Cached images and files and click Clear now. The shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Delete opens the same dialog.
Edge also lets you clear browsing data automatically every time you close the browser. Look for Choose what to clear every time you close the browser on the same page.
Firefox
On Mobile
On Android: Open the menu at the top-right (three vertical dots), tap Settings, then Delete browsing data. Tick Cached images and files and tap Delete browsing data.
On iOS: Open the three-dot menu at the bottom-right, tap Settings, then Data Management. Tap Clear Private Data, choose what to clear and confirm.
On Desktop
Click the menu button (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner and select Settings. Choose Privacy & Security from the left-hand menu, then scroll to Cookies and Site Data and click Clear browsing data.
Tick Temporary cached files and pages and click Clear. The shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Delete (Windows) or Cmd + Shift + Delete (Mac) opens a more detailed dialog where you can pick a time range.
You can also tell Firefox to clear cookies and site data automatically when you close the browser, from the same Privacy & Security settings.
Why Caching Matters For Website Owners
If you’ve recently made changes to your website and those changes aren’t showing up when you check, caching is almost always the reason. Cache issues often look as though the change never happened at all, when in fact the update is live but your browser or your hosting setup is still showing an older saved version.
When you run your own site, there are usually three different caches that can sit between an update being made and a visitor seeing it:
- Browser cache on the visitor’s device. This is the one cleared using the steps above and is the most common cause of a change not appearing for a single user.
- CDN or page cache on your hosting or CDN provider. This is usually cleared from your hosting dashboard or a caching plugin like WP Rocket and affects what every visitor sees, not just one person.
- WordPress object cache if you run a WordPress website with caching enabled. This is cleared from your caching plugin or hosting control panel and tends to affect dynamic content rather than static pages.
Asking clients or colleagues to “clear their cache” is often the quickest first step when a change looks missing. A hard refresh (Ctrl + F5 on Windows, Cmd + Shift + R on Mac) is a useful shortcut, as it bypasses the browser cache for a single page load. If the change still doesn’t appear after a hard refresh, the cache holding things up is probably server-side rather than in the browser and clearing it through your hosting or caching plugin should fix the issue.
FAQs
What is a browser cache?
A browser cache is a temporary store of files that your browser keeps on your device. It holds the elements that make up the websites you visit, including images, stylesheets and scripts. By storing these locally, your browser can rebuild a familiar page from saved files rather than downloading the full page again, which is why returning to a website you’ve been to before usually feels noticeably faster than visiting it for the first time.
What does clearing your cache mean?
Clearing your cache means deleting the temporary files your browser has built up from sites you’ve visited. Once cleared, your next visit to each site will take a moment longer than usual because everything has to be downloaded again. From then on, though, your browser will be working from a clean, up-to-date set of files rather than anything that might have become outdated.
Will clearing my cache delete my passwords or bookmarks?
No, clearing your cache won’t affect your saved passwords, bookmarks or autofill data, all of which sit in separate parts of your browser. The one thing to be aware of is the “Cookies and site data” option, which is usually shown alongside cached files in the same menu. If you tick that as well, you’ll be signed out of any websites you’re currently logged into and may need to log back in afterwards.
How often should I clear my browser cache?
For most people, once every few months is enough. There’s no real benefit to clearing your cache more often than that, since the cache is helping pages load faster in the meantime and reducing the amount of data your browser has to download. Clear it sooner only if you’re troubleshooting a specific problem, such as a website that won’t load properly or recent changes that aren’t appearing as expected.
What's the difference between cache and cookies?
The cache and cookies serve related but distinct purposes. The cache stores parts of webpages (images, scripts, stylesheets) so the page can be rebuilt quickly when you return. Cookies, on the other hand, store small pieces of information about you and your activity on a site, such as whether you’re logged in, what’s in your basket or which preferences you’ve set. Most browsers offer the option to clear both together, but you can also clear them independently.
Where is the browser cache stored?
Each browser keeps its cache in a dedicated folder on your device, separate from your bookmarks, saved passwords and other personal data. The exact location varies by browser and operating system, but you’ll rarely need to find it yourself. Clearing the cache through your browser’s settings is the safe way to remove it without accidentally deleting anything you want to keep.
Does clearing my cache make my browser faster?
Sometimes, but not always. A cache that has grown very large, or one that contains corrupted files, can slow a browser down or cause pages to load incorrectly, in which case clearing it will help. Under normal conditions, though, the cache is making things faster rather than slower, so clearing it as a routine performance fix is unlikely to make much of a difference. Expect a brief slowdown the first time you visit each site afterwards, then everything will return to normal as the cache rebuilds.
Co-Founder at Priority Pixels
Paul leads on development and technical SEO at Priority Pixels, bringing over 20 years of experience in web and IT. He specialises in building fast, scalable WordPress websites and shaping SEO strategies that deliver long-term results. He’s also a driving force behind the agency’s push into accessibility and AI-driven optimisation.
